As many expected, Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller had no problem whatsoever disposing of hapless former 175 and 200-pound champ Tomasz Adamek by second round knockout on October 6.
Jarrell, who calls himself “Big Baby”, weighed an astonishing 317 pounds, nearly 100 more pounds than his opponent. The win now pushes the 30-year old New Yorker’s mark to 22-0-1 (19).
The fight, which aired on top subscription video streaming service DAZN, was an absolute mismatch from the start and rightfully criticized as such.
Miller seems undeterred by the backlash though and continues to make his case for a world title shot against division ruler Anthony Joshua.
In speaking with Sky Sports, Miller had this to say – “I’ve been earning a shot against Anthony Joshua, but when it comes to boxing, there’s all these politics, they try to maneuver. Eddie Hearn is keeping him away from me right now, but what can I say about Eddie. He’s made promises and he’s kept his word, so I think the AJ fight is going to come through sooner or later.”
While Miller’s hunger (no pun intended) for ultimate glory can be appreciated, his worthiness at this stage warrants scrutiny.
Miller’s best win probably came when he retired contender Gerald Washington on his stool in the eighth round after battering him for much of the fight on the Adrien Broner-Mikey Garcia undercard. There was also his points win over Wilder knockout victim Johan Duhaupas and stoppage over Mariusz Wach.
Those victories hardly scream title shot to me yet the New Yorker has managed to muscle his way into the Anthony Joshua sweepstakes.
However, this writer does concede that Miller is surprisingly agile and throws many punches for a man his size, which he used to great effectiveness to wear down Washington. Miller’s recent stoppage of the tough but faded Adamek will almost certainly add to the increasing chatter about his punching prowess but should not move him closer to title contention.
Fellow heavyweight contender Dillian Whyte, whom Hearn has also promised a title shot is more deserving and has accomplished much more. The once-beaten Londoner gave AJ all that he could handle before succumbing in the seventh round of their 2015 grudge match.
‘The Bodysnatcher’ has bounced back beautifully and is now riding an 8-fight win streak with quality wins over Dereck Chisora, Robert Helenius, Lucas Browne and Joseph Parker. Whyte is all set to fight Luis Ortiz on December 22 in a WBC eliminator.
Miller is probably a better self-promotor than Whyte as evidenced by his trash talking. However, he still lacks the credibility that should accompany a fighter with his high ranking to warrant a title shot.
Jarrell should continue to build his resume and seek fights against higher quality opponents, as he is still largely untested.
